1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an airbag device that is mounted on a vehicle and that deploys a bag element in front of an occupant when the vehicle collides with an object.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-155420 (JP-A-2004-155420) describes an airbag device. The airbag device includes a bag element (airbag) that is provided with a cylindrical tube. The distal end of the tube is located inside the bag element. In addition, the distal end of the tube is retained by a clamp, or the like, to maintain the tube located inside the bag element even when the bag element is inflated and deployed. When the tube is retained inside the deployed bag element, the tube is flattened by gas pressure inside the bag element to retain a flat shape.
When the tube is released from the clamp once the bag element has deployed, the gas pressure inside the bag element inflate the tube and causes it to extend outside of the bag element. Thus, the gas inside the bag element is discharged from the proximal end of the tube through the distal end of the tube to the outside of the bag element. Thereby adjusting the gas pressure inside the bag element.
With the configuration described in JP-A-2004-155420, the distal end of the tube is flattened with gas pressure in the deployed bag element when retained inside the bag element; however, gas inside the bag element leaks through the tube during the initial stages of deploying the bag element (that is, from when the bag element initiates inflation until the bag element is deployed), so it is necessary to increase the size of a gas generator, such as an inflator, that feeds gas into the bag element in order to quickly inflate and deploy the bag element.